Live Blog: Dussehra celebrations in the country

The Shiv Sena is holding its annual Dussehra rally indoors in a Mumbai auditorium with 50 percent seating capacity. Normally, it is held at the iconic Shivaji Park but it is being given a miss for the second straight year due to COVID-19. The rally, a key public event linked to the party's evolution, will be held at Shanmukhanand Hall in Central Mumbai on October 15 and will be addressed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who is also the Sena president.

President Ram Nath Kovind will celebrate Dussehra this year with jawans in Ladakh's Drass area. Traditionally, the president participates in Dussehra celebrations in the national capital. According to a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique issued on Wednesday, the president will visit Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir on October 14 and 15. On October 15, Kovind will pay tributes at the Kargil War Memorial in Drass and interact with officers and jawans.

Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmer organizations, has said that the farmers will burn effigies of Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on Dussehra to protest the Lakhimpur Kheri incident in which eight people, including four farmers, were killed. Punjab BJP general secretary Subhash Sharma has taken strong exception to the farmer leaders' decision to burn effigies.

Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit greeted people on the eve of Dussehra. In an official release, he said the festival symbolizes the triumph of good over evil and shows us the way of ideal and virtuous living. He added that the festival surpassed communal barriers and provided an opportunity to the people to reinforce their bonds of brotherhood, amity, and goodwill.

Delhi this year for the first time will witness ‘virtual’ celebrations on Dussehra marked by digital or electronic fireworks. Residents of Delhi will be able to watch Ravana being burnt on their television screens. These will include virtual firecracker celebrations on digital screens, along with the sound of bursting crackers. Effigies will also be burnt virtually in some places.

The country is celebrating Vijaya Dashami, commonly known as Dussehra, today. The festival is celebrated on the tenth day of Navratri. The scale of celebrations is considerably less this year as well in view of COVID-19. Even though Ramlilas were permitted in Delhi, they are missing the usual grandeur. Lesser people are seen in attendance due to social distancing norms. The Red Fort Ramlila is also being live-streamed for the benefit of people.